A Bond of Blonde
by Arebus
Summary: Yang couldn't help but be angry at Blake leaving. As the door opened, she realized a few things. One being to trust that Blake would come back. The other being that team RWBY wasn't the only one hurting. Vol. 5 in place of Yang and Weiss' talk. I would've liked to see a bit more development for Jaune this volume, so I added my own. SUSPENDED. Sorry guys, I lost the thread.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Don't worry, I still plan to write a new chapter for What Remains, but I finally got around to binge watching the 5** **th** **Volume of RWBY, and I couldn't help but want to see more development for Jaune. Or at least more purpose in the volume than cementing the fact that he definitely is still depressed about his skills. Anyways, after the last episode this started running through my head. Shouldn't be any spoilers, but just to be safe I do recommend you go ahead and watch Volume 5 first. Enjoy y'all!**

 _A bond of blonde_

Yang sat on the edge of her bed in the hotel room. When she had first arrived in Mistral she was just so happy to finally see Ruby and Qrow again, but as always there were bitter parts to the otherwise sweet moment. She didn't mean to get angry at Weiss and Ruby, but Blake leaving hurt so much. It wasn't just that Yang would've been there for her Partner, but Yang needed Blake to be there for her. Instead Blake ran back to Menagerie not giving her team the chance to talk to her.

Yang pulled their team photo out of her pocket, stroking their smiling faces and cheerful eyes. _Wish I could warn you guys. Tell you to be ready_. A knock at her door broke Yang from her lamentation.

"Look, Ruby I really don't want to talk about it." She turned, expecting to see the watery silver eyes of her sister. Instead she saw white and gold platemail where her sisters head would've been.

"Wow, and here I thought I had gained at least a little masculinity." Jaune walked forward and sat on the bed on the opposing wall, watching as Yang recovered from her shock.

"Jaune? Why… did you want something?"

Jaune's face contorted into a concerned frown. Yang typically would've fired back with some kind of jab at his fragile ego, but she didn't even register it.

"I saw you walking away from Weiss and Ruby. You looked pretty upset, wanted to see if I could do anything to help."

A sigh escaped the brawler as she turned her head away from him. Of course, he would come to try and help. _He never could stand to see one of us upset._

"Jaune, I appreciate the thought, but you don't really get what's going on-"

"Really?"

Yang stopped in her tracks. Jaune never interrupted people. He was always too polite or shy to just interject like that. She turned her head back to him, just in time to see the iron disappear from his eyes. Now they just looked cold, like someone had just put out a candle on a dark winter night. They had always been so warm at Beacon, even when he was feeling down.

"Of all people, you're going to tell me I don't know what it's like to lose a partner? Yang… in less than a month, we could all be dead. Salem may have killed us, or maybe it was Cinder or one of the other lackeys, but either way we're walking into an uphill war. Not even uphill, up mountain."

Jaune paused to recollect himself, as his eyes went from the cold anger he had shown to an almost broken look. Yang remembered those eyes. In the past, they were red and they were crying over a grave with a white cloak clutched in the owner's arms. The eyes that said it would only take one more loss, one more time of watching a loved one vanish, and they wouldn't be able to hold on anymore.

 _I guess we kinda glossed over what happened to JNPR. I've been so concerned with RWBY, I didn't think what it had done to him._

"Yang… Blake is still alive. She's still fighting, we have to believe she is. That means you still have a chance to talk about this. Make sure she understands that you are all there for her. That none of it was her fault."

He stood and moved toward her, dropping onto one knee and putting his hand on her shoulder. Yang couldn't look away from his eyes.

"Please, Yang. Don't let this get in the way. I know it hurt, but look at what happened. She ran because she blamed herself. She saw you injured, people dead, and the White Fang at the head of it all. Her worst fears were realized. Don't let that get in the way of you two being together. You still have time and you still have a chance. Don't waste it. For your own sake."

Yang could feel how close he was. She had forgotten. Jaune came from a good family. A large family, seven sisters, loving parents, and a peaceful home in the country. He could have stayed. Mourned properly. He had come to Beacon with no training because he wanted to help. He pushed on because he felt that it was the right thing to do. He had about as much training as Oscar did, and Jaune didn't have the advantage of a multitude of lives to give him experience.

And yet Jaune followed Ruby. He gathered what remained of JNPR and went to fight against those who had destroyed his world. He went for vengeance against Cinder, for the sake of his family and all innocents, for people who wouldn't fight.

But how long could he?

Ruby had that strange spark in her, that allowed her to inspire others even if she was afraid. The others were hurting, but they knew what needed to be done. They always had each other to rely on.

But Jaune never did. He let everyone rely on him if they needed to, and would never let one of them get hurt if he could help it.

 _But looking at him now… How have you kept going Jaune? How are you okay?_

The answer was clear as Jaune staggered to his feet and moved for the door. He wasn't. He probably never would be.

* * *

After a short time, the door opened again. This time, while still not Ruby, it was slightly more expected. Weiss moved forward, opening her mouth to speak, but Yang beat her to it.

"I know Weiss. Blake is still out there, still fighting. I know she'll come back. I was just… hurt."

Yang started slightly as she felt the Heiress' slender arms come around her.

"I know Yang. We'll just have to trust in Blake. She'll come back to us, and RWBY will be back on its feet."

Weiss pulled back slightly so she could look at Yang. The blonde's eyes were focused on a space somewhere between Weiss' shoulder and the door. Something had happened, and it was weighing on Yang. Weiss had a suspicion she knew what the "something" was. A certain blond "something."

"I think… it may be time one of us help him. What do you think?"

Yang's eyes refocused on the icy blue ones in front of her. Weiss had small, sad smile on her face. _I guess she did miss the goof._

"Yeah, I think it is time. Thanks Weiss-cream."

Yang was out the door before the swift reprisal could be rendered. Weiss shook her head as the golden hair flew out of view.

 _It's good to be home._

* * *

Jaune inhaled slowly as he calmed his mind. Despite the frustrating lack of results, Ren assured him that meditation would at least help him keep a clear mind, even if it didn't unlock his semblance. Jaune measured his breathing, focusing on his aura, trying to feel it's strength and how it moved. If he could just…

 _I'm sorry, Jaune._

The white glow that had started to rise of his skin lashed out, bathing the garden in white, before it receded into his body.

 _Blast! Should've known it wouldn't work. I don't deserve to be free of this. I failed her. Just like I failed Ruby against Tyrian, just like I failed Ren against the Nucklavee. Why did I make it out…_

"Jaune."

The soft feeling of her real hand on his arm compelled him to face Yang.

She didn't look happy.

"Yang, what's wrong?" He struggled to keep his voice level. _Come on, at least be strong enough for this. They have enough to worry about without feeling sorry for you._

Her right hand came up to cup his cheek, her prosthetic thumb unconsciously stroking his cheek.

"Jaune, look at me. Please?"

He forced his eyes to meet her lilac ones. She looked conflicted. Like she couldn't tell whether to be angry with him or to be sad for him. He didn't particularly like either option.

"Listen to me, okay?" She kept a gentle hold of him as he nodded into her hand.

"You don't have to keep this up with me. Alright? You've been so strong Jaune. You've kept JNPR together, you saved Qrow, and you made it to Haven. We still have a long way to go, but for now, you don't have to be strong."

He could feel it. The stinging behind his eyes, the burning in his chest, the trembling of his legs.

 _No. No Jaune, she needs to stay focused. Don't distract her, you aren't worth it._

Yang slowly pulled him closer, till she was gently embracing him, holding his head to her shoulder and stroking his hair with her right hand. She could feel him trying to hold it in. Trying to resist letting it out.

"Jaune," She whispered in his ear, "It's just us, okay? It's alright. I've got you. You don't have to bear it all. Let me help, please."

 _No, I'm not… I don't deserve this. I… I can't…_

Jaune felt his walls finally break. His legs gave out, his arms wrapped around her back, and his face was stained with tears.

"I can't Yang. I… I'll fail. I'll get one of you hurt. Just… Just like Pyrrha. I'm a liability. I'm so… so sorry."

Yang could only just hear him mutter through his tears. He didn't sob, he didn't wail, he just shook silently. She held him tightly as her own eyes started to water.

 _He's blamed himself. All this time he thought it was his fault? No wonder he tried to help me with Blake. He knew where she was coming from._

"Jaune. She knew what she was doing. She knew she couldn't win, but she wanted to give us a chance. It was just who she was. None of us could have stopped her."

"But it was my duty. I was supposed to protect them. I was supposed to keep them safe."

Yang pulled back just enough to meet his eyes. They were the eyes of a man who had seen the gates of hell and felt he deserved them. She closed her eyes and put her forehead against his.

"Hey. You were a team. You were supposed to protect each other. She did that, and gave us all a chance. Now it's time to use that chance. You can't break now Jaune. We need you. RWBY needs you, Ozpin needs you, Remnant needs you."

She put her hand on his cheek again and opened her eyes, staring directly into his broken ones.

"I need you Jaune."

"I-I can't, I'll-" She brushed her thumb over his mouth to silence his fearful protest.

"You can Jaune. I know you can. You don't have to protect everyone. We'll protect each other, okay? I'll be there for you and you'll watch my back. I trust you Jaune. I know you'll make it, and I know I can count on you."

She watched as he tried to muster himself. She could feel the strength returning to his aura, ever so slowly, but surely. He raised his eyes back to her and nodded, not trusting his voice quite yet. She pulled him tighter once again, letting him gather himself a little more. She smiled quietly as his arms returned to her back. They weren't there out of desperate fear anymore.

Out of Yang's sight, Jaune's eyes regained the cold steel they had earlier, though for a drastically different reason.

 _Never again. No more, Cinder. No more, Salem. I will not fail them again. I will not fail Pyrrha's memory. I will not fail_ _ **her**_ _._

They stood together and turned to look out over the edge of the garden. They watched as Mistral lazily stirred to life. Yang shifted to be closer to Jaune, brushing her left arm against him. Jaune wrapped his arm around her shoulders and very gently pulled her in tighter. She grinned as she moved into his embrace.

 _Ya know something, I think Snow Angel may have missed out on something pretty great here._

 **Okay, yeah sorry. Wasn't my best work, and I didn't really mean to turn this into a shipping thing but it kinda did anyway. I'm good with Jaune being with Weiss, Yang, or Ruby but the more I think about it, the more I like the blonde's together. Anywho, like I said this was just a little thing that popped into my head. Let me know what you think, please comment and review, and thanks for reading!**

 **P.S. Was I the only one who absolutely lost it when Yang literally threw Nora by detaching her arm?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! So, I've had a few people ask to continue this story. I'm kinda prepping this chapter in case y'all really do want me to keep it up. If not, then I'll just trash this and we'll leave this story as a one shot. Keep reviewing and keep commenting everyone!**

 _Forged in pain, Tempered in Fire._

Jaune grunted in exertion as he lifted the weights higher and replaced them on the rack above his head. It had been a few days since Yang and Weiss had rejoined the group. Oscar was beginning to adapt to Ozpin's memories, Ruby was improving in her hand to hand, Ren had managed to almost double his endurance, Nora had made great strides in the control and precision in her movements, Yang had been steadily gaining confidence in her prosthetic, and Weiss was getting much quicker with her Glyphs.

 _And I still can't use my semblance._

Jaune sighed as he sat up. He was drenched in sweat and his body shook from his now daily exertions. He wasn't a child, he knew not to let himself whine about "being useless." He had talents, he was strong, he had great stamina, and his work on defense had paid off. Even Qrow was beginning to have to get creative to breach Jaune's shield work. Even still, his advances weren't enough. Salem had untold power, her Grimm came in all variations making them very adaptable, and her team was not to be underestimated according to Ozpin. But there was one other that Jaune knew he would eventually face. The one who killed Ozpin. The one who killed Pyrrha. The one killed Penny.

 _Cinder…_

The growl reverberated through his mind. Jaune had made as much peace with what had happened as he could. He needed a clear mind for what would come. But his rage had not lessened. That… thing deserved death. And not the death of a soldier, or the death of a warrior, or even the death of a martyr.

She deserved to suffer. And she would. Jaune would see to it personally.

 _If I can even get close. Come on, there's got to be something. Anything. Let's break this down, think clearly._

 _Lie Ren- Martial Artist, dual wield auto-pistols affixed with sickle-like blades. Extremely lethal in close to mid-range combat. Low stamina, compensates with extreme precision and efficiency in combat._

Jaune shook himself and stood off the bench. _I'm thinking about this wrong. The fighting style is important, but this is their souls we're talking about._

 _Okay, Lie Ren- Suffered the loss of his parents and entire village to the Nucklavee. Met Nora and instantly adapted to being her protector and comforter. Accepted me as a brother, fought to protect Beacon without question. Honor, Sacrifice, Peace of Mind, and a logical approach to everything._

 _But his semblance is to disguise emotional output. Effectively cloaking someone from the Grimm. How do they correlate? What's the link?_

Jaune stared at the horizon, watching as the sun lazily fell behind the mountains. He was looking for answers to a question that humanity has asked for ages. No one has figured it out yet, no reason to think her could.

* * *

Yang sighed as she looked at him. He had been pushing himself too far again. And now he was letting himself get lost in thought.

 _He's gonna burn out. We talked, but I don't think I helped as much as it seemed._

She walked down the steps to the training yard. As she got closer, she could see his chest still heaving with his labored breath, and the sheen on his skin. He was still watching the sun and it didn't look like he had really noticed her. She gently lied her hand on his shoulder, moving to stand next to him. They both remained silent, though out of slightly different reasons.

 _I guess we really haven't talked about what happened after our pep talk, did we?_ She looked at his face, the muscles relaxing ever so slightly as whatever he was previously thinking about left him. Yang hadn't thought about it much at Beacon, Pyrrha had pretty much claimed her territory. _Still though… He ain't half bad. And his aura…_

As much as Jaune got bothered about his lack of control and experience with aura, there was something about it. Even during the days at Beacon. Whenever he let it touch someone else, it always seemed to calm them down. _Maybe that's not right. It wasn't always calming as much… soothing. Like he knew we weren't doing great, but by just being there he could help._

"Hey."

She giggled under her breath. "Hey yourself." She felt a little tension leave his body as he relaxed against the railing with her.

"Sunset sure is nice tonight. Picture Perfect."

She smiled as she looked at the image. A gentle sunset over green hills, a crystal waterfall thundering away, and a zephyr moving through the trees. "Yeah, sure is." She turned back to look at him, moving a little closer than strictly necessary. "Hey… you okay?"

He blinked a few times, then scratched the back of his neck. _There's the old goof._ "Yeah, fine. Just a little tired. Why do you ask?"

Her smile fell a little and her hand returned to his shoulder. "You've been pushing pretty hard Jaune. I get that we need to improve, but be careful you don't run yourself into the ground."

* * *

 _Oh, I get it. Guess I should've seen that coming._

"N-no Yang. I'm good, I promise. I've just been trying to get myself up to par, ya know? I haven't forgotten." He hoped he hadn't misread, since the frown hadn't changed. _Can't put my finger on it… but something about that frown bothers me. A lot._

That beautiful smile came back. "Good. I just wanted to make sure." Her metallic hand came up and poked his forehead. "Now, come on. I wanna see how our resident Ladies Man has been doing with his hand to hand."

Jaune's face gained a rare smirk. The past while had put some steel in his back. "Alright, you asked for it. But after…" He put his finger in the same place on her head, leaning in, closing the distance between their faces. "I wanna see how our resident Brawler can do with a blade." She smirked back and leaned even closer, their noses almost touching.

Coincidentally so were their lips, but that's beside the point.

"Deal, Arc."

* * *

 _Dear Monty. When did he get so good at hand to hand? And where did this flirty side come from? Forests added some spine to Vomit Boy… I like it._

Yang grinned in fierce determination. They had been sparring for almost twenty minutes straight. Her semblance was keeping her going, but she was beginning to feel the strain. But Jaune looked like he was still raring to go. Aside from a few lumps, he was surprisingly good at deflecting her blows, he seemed right as rain.

"Come on, Xiao-Long. That all you got for poor Vomit Boy?"

 _And the teasing! Why wasn't he this much fun before? This fire looks good on him… Hold up, slow down girl. Let's not jump the gap before there's a bridge._

She charged with a right hook, ready to pirouette and turn it into a spinning elbow.

Had he not dived forward, picking her up as he stood, and threw her to the side. _Alright buddy. Let's kick this up a notch._

Turns out; Not their best idea. As both blonde's lay panting on the ground, covered in dust and sweat, they had much the same thought.

 _Maybe we went overboard._

"Hey, Yang?"

She shifted her head to look at him. He was tired, battered, probably sore, but he had a soft smile on his face.

"Thanks."

She smiled back and nodded. She couldn't help it. There it was. The little giddy feeling in her chest. _Oh dear,_

 _I've fallen for the goof._

* * *

Jaune stretched his sore body as he walked outside. It was close to midnight, but he couldn't sleep. Not because he was restless, or worried, or panicked, or any of the usual reasons. Tonight was probably the best mood he had been in since… well since this started.

So, he decided to take a walk at night. Just a quick stroll through the garden to take in the cool air before bed. As he made his way, Jaune was confronted by an absolute spectacle.

Yang Xiao-Long. In a silk robe over her shorts and tank top. Standing by a small stream. Bathed in moonlight.

 _Oh, Monty preserve me. I wasn't ready for this._

She was _singing._ It was so smooth, so pure, Jaune breathed as quietly as possible. It would be a sin of horrific proportions to interrupt this.

 _I can't even… It's so…_

Jaune couldn't believe how it sounded. It wasn't regal like Weiss. It was more like a mother holding her child close and singing them to sleep. A pleasant warmth, arms holding you tight, gentle chords weaving through the air, just like-

 _Just like when she held me. When she helped me._

 _When she healed me._

Jaune couldn't bring his eyes to leave her. She looked like the Sun had come to Remnant, just so she could sing for the Moon. He felt a tear form in his eye, but he couldn't move. To do so would be to detract from what the angel before him was doing. As it fell, Jaune couldn't help it. He felt that… thing in his soul. That little tug. He let his aura manifest, and it peeled of his body, weaving itself through the air. It pulsed and spread in time with her song. When it reached her, she opened her eyes and turned to face him. But she never missed a beat.

* * *

Yang had felt him before his aura ever reached her. His soul had such a powerful… presence that she felt it almost immediately. As she turned to look at him, her heart almost stopped. He was just wearing drawstring pants and a sleeveless shirt. But coated in silver moon light, with his aura pulsating around him, singing with her. She couldn't stop herself from blushing.

She kept singing though, and allowed her own golden aura to manifest around her. It, too, spread through the air. Almost like it wanted to mingle with his. It shivered and hummed around his, as if the two auras were singing together. She smiled softly at Jaune. Thankfully…

He took the hint.

Jaune's voice was gently added to the song. He knew it, but from long ago. When his mother would sing him to sleep. He slowly stepped his way through the song as he moved closer to Yang. The closer he got to her, the more places their Aura's crossed and intermingled. The two didn't notice, aside from their movements beginning to sync perfectly together.

They finally reached each other as the song entered it's final verse. Jaune took Yang by her right hand, pulling her close to his chest, and began to sway to the music. They danced through the garden as it was illuminated by their souls. As the song reached to a close, they remained closely connected.

Yang's head was comfortably rested against Jaune's chest, her arms around his neck. Jaune gently wrapped her torso in his arms, feeling the crown of her head against his throat. As they held each other in the moonlight, Jaune came to a realization. A profound realization that would shake the foundations of Remnant.

 _Oh, boy. I've fallen for her._

 **Hey guys. So, I actually got a few messages and reviews before I finished this chapter, and people seem to want me to keep both stories running. I'll try my best, and I might be kinda infrequent with updates, but I promise you: If I choose to end one of my stories early or if something comes up and I won't be able to write, I will let you all know. Also just as a side note; I'm perfectly fine with adding to this story, and I'm glad you all like it. I am not putting a single tiny, miniscule, portion or any-other-word-you-want-to-use bit of drama in this story. I hate drama with a passion. I understand it happens, but I feel like these poor guys and gals have enough on their plate. Who am I to mess with them anymore, you know? Anyways, sorry for the long author's notes. Thanks everybody, and Happy Holidays!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! Welcome to the next installment of A Bond of Blonde. Don't really have anything to say, other than: I'm going to be focusing on this story, then I'll start writing more about A Shift in Power, and after some time I'll go back to What Remains. I've been getting better feedback for this story than anything else, so I'm just gonna go with it. Enjoy!**

 _A Dragon and a Knight in The Hills._

Yang walked through the halls restlessly. The training had been going at an amazing pace, everyone had reached an entirely new level. Oscar was solid in his movements, Ruby could take Ren in Hand-to-Hand, Ren could easily keep a fight up for hours, Nora had been more focused than ever, Weiss' control over her defensive aura had improved dramatically, and Yang was as confident with her new arm as she ever was with her old one. But the biggest change was Jaune.

He had already been suited to defense, but he had really doubled down on the idea. His improvements to both Crocea and his armor suited him for prolonged combat, his already impressive aura seemed to have grown, and no one could match the new tenacity he seemed to have. Yang was beginning to believe his semblance had already been unlocked, and it allowed him to increase his skill exponentially. She had no proof obviously, but still… He was moving at an incredible rate.

"Yang, we need to talk." She came to an abrupt stop as her Uncle suddenly appeared next to her.

"Don't just pop up like that!" The Huntsman chuckled and poked her forehead.

"I've been here for ten minutes. I was watching you pace, looking like you wanted to go hit something. Something I should know about?" Despite his outward appearance, very little made it past Qrow's watchful eye. Though that may be reason enough for his appearance.

"No, I've just been really restless. Kinda anxious to go do something, you know?" Qrow nodded and motioned her to follow as he made his way to the common area. Most everyone was already there, the only ones absent being Ren and Nora. The two had volunteered to go get the groceries for this week.

"We've all been gettin' restless. So, me and Oz thought you all could use something to do." Ozpin walked forward, Oscar's young eyes glowing with an ancient wisdom. _Still creepy._

"There has been an influx of Grimm activity. While Salem is still our priority, we still have a duty to protect Mistral. The hills to the south need to be cleared soon. They do not have large numbers yet, so it would be best to keep the party small. Any volunteers?" Jaune stood and started moving toward his room, a fire burning in his eyes.

"I'll be ready in ten. Let me know who's coming with."

Yang nodded her head towards the rest of them. "I'll go with him. If there isn't too many, then we should be able to handle it ourselves."

Ozpin returned the nod, Oscar's slightly more nervous eyes taking over soon after. "Good luck, Yang."

"Thanks, little buddy." She reached over and ruffled his hair before moving to her own room. _We should travel light, but be ready for heavy fighting._

She gathered her gear and made her way to the airfield. Despite the reservations they had against Lionheart, he was still headmaster and therefore the one to assign missions to Hunters. A tricky situation, but instead of a two-hour hike, they had a ten-minute flight. Jaune didn't look excited, per se, but he didn't actually vomit.

"Hey, you feeling alright?" Jaune looked up to Yang's concerned gaze. The airship was a smaller, light-weight, recon vehicle, so there wasn't a lot room for passengers. The two were seated on a bench facing the bay door, pressed closely together.

"Yeah, I'm good. We got lucky, no turbulence means I don't owe you a new pair of shoes." Yang's laugh at the old memory filled the cabin. Jaune had apologized profusely after the incident and paid for new boots, despite Yang's protest.

"Hey back there, ETA 20 seconds to insertion. We've got a few Ursa near the DZ, so be ready to hit the ground running. This bird's quick, but it can't take very much punishment." They stood and readied themselves for a combat drop. The strategy they had was simple. Jaune had the bigger aura and the heavier weapon. With Crocea Mors in its two-handed format, he would drop from the aircraft while pumping aura into the sword, reinforcing the metal. As he connected with either one of the enemies or the ground, the resulting disruption would put the Grimm's attention on Jaune, leaving Yang open to drop in from behind.

"Alright, ready up! Light is green in 3, 2, 1. Light is green go, go, go!" Jaune clapped Yang on the shoulder and gave her a wink as he hurled himself into the sky.

 _When did he get so smooth?_

Jaune felt his mind clear, his blood boil, and sent his aura surging through his blade. Despite how sick he felt in aircraft, actually being in the air was a pleasant experience. His cerulean eyes latched onto the black form of an Ursa and he tucked his leg in slightly to adjust his decent. Free falling was always an unusual set of movement. Every twitch could send you sprawling, but thanks to aura, his muscles could resist the drag of the wind. He neared his target and swung Crocea in a mighty arc, completing a full rotation before slamming into the creature at terminal velocity. The resulting cloud was sufficient to the cause.

Yang smirked as she fell. He was still relatively new to hunting, but boy could he make an entrance.

 _Can't be outdone, now can I?_

The Grimm turned to the human that dared to intrude on their territory. It was one of the younger ones. It seemed strong, but it was small and outnumbered. The Major reared its head and bellowed a challenge. It lumbered forward as the human raised its shield. The Major had been in enough conflicts to know how to get around this defense.

It wasn't as sure what to do when the human plunged it's sword through the Ursa's foot, uppercut the beast with its shield, and then kicked the Major hard enough to throw it back to the rest of the Ursai.

Jaune rolled his shoulders as he raised Crocea. _Huh, didn't think I could kick that hard._ A fierce smile flashed across his face as he roared his own challenge to the Ursai. As much as Jaune would've preferred to have more than one person running distraction, he knew the small horde wouldn't take Yang long to work through. _Alright Xiao-Long, time to show you what I've got._ "Come on ya balls of fur, let's go!"

Yang restrained her urge to hit the ground with a bang, instead allowing her prosthetic to drag it's way down the trunk of a tree. She had overshot the field Jaune was in by a few yards, but she could hear him call out the "fur-balls." She chuckled as she ran toward the rear of the Horde. _Confidence looks good on him. Kinda glad we got a few days to- Stop it! Focus! Horde, Grimm, big things with claws and teeth._

The horde was on the smaller side, only about twenty strong, including the Ursa Major that Jaune had managed to enrage. Yang laughed as she delivered a punishing right hook to the nearest Ursa. While their pelts were resistant to being slashed, the Grimm's floating ribs were fair game to kinetic energy.

The buckshot probably didn't help.

The well-over-600lbs beast was bodily thrown into his buddy, leaving both open to finishing axe kicks. Yang methodically punched, kicked, and shot her way through the horde. It took longer than she had anticipated, the horde was small but they were older and more intelligent. The Ursa knew they were slower so they tried to work in tandem.

 _I mean, yeah, they're smarter, but I'm still beating the crap out of them. Hopefully Jaune's not too tired. We've still got almost six kilometers to hike today._ Yang paused with her prosthetic buried in an Ursa's mask. _We did bring the camping gear, right?_

Yang shook her head and continued destroying the last few. Surely Jaune had remembered. He was a team leader, he knew to keep up with this stuff. Especially with a teammate like Nora, right?

Jaune shrugged off yet another set of claws. He grimaced as he brought Crocea down in an arc, hacking through the Grimm's neck. The fighting wasn't necessarily hard, but holding ground alone was tiring. He couldn't move too much or the horde would lose attention, but the dirt below him had turned to mud with the blood of the Grimm. His shield arm burned from the weight of the impacts, and he had earned a small cut above his left eye. While not dangerous in any way, his aura had already healed the actual cut, the blood had flowed into his eye, blinding him.

As he removed his blade from the last Ursa's throat, he saw Yang moving toward him. She was completely fine, other than a little gore due to her fondness for 12 gauge shells. He grinned at her and collapsed his shield. Despite only gaining one small laceration, his once gold and white armor was now a stained and gruesome black.

"Hey there, killer. You look like you could use a shower." As Yang snickered at her own joke, Jaune got a devious idea. Thankfully any revulsion to gore had long since been removed by their training. Can't exactly be a Huntsman if you can't look at the thing you're killing.

 _Ah, she'll kill me for this._

 _Eh, worth it._

Jaune dropped his weapons and charged forward.

"Ah, anyway- Wait, no no no no no, Arc don't you dare! Jaune!" Jaune ignored her protests and wrapped her in a tight embrace, letting his cuirass stain her long duster. It was made for a Huntress, so he knew the blood would come off relatively easily, but it was just inconvenient enough to bother her.

"Ah, there we go Yang. A big hug after a successful fight, don't you feel better now?" She buried her fist into his ribs, causing him to fall off her.

"I hate you." He stood and looked at her cute pout. He booped her on the nose and smirked.

"You know you love me."

 _You'd be surprised how true that is._

Jaune sighed as he sat on the bank of a small river. Thanks to the two Hunters aura they made good time on their hike. They would need to move a bit further before they got to the next nest, but Yang decided they should rest for the night.

Jaune didn't argue too much, as it gave him the chance to clean off. Despite the water being bitterly cold, it was refreshing and clean. He stood from the bank and moved his armor to the cave where they would be camping, letting it and the rest of his clothes dry. He had brought a spare pair of pants and an extra hoody, so thankfully he didn't have to stand completely naked.

Yang walked into the cave with an armful of dry twigs and her duster. She placed her jacket near the rest of Jaune's gear and began stacking the wood for a small fire. She looked a little guilty, which made Jaune narrow his eyes.

 _She's done something. Yang literally never looks guilty. I don't even know what she would have done that would-_ Jaune's eyes widened.

"Please tell me we didn't." Yang looked up at him, saw the look in his eyes, then turned back to her fire.

"…Yeah… Kinda." Jaune knelt next to her and sparked the fire with a flint and steel. He shook his head and moved back towards his armor. He grabbed a small bag from under his cuirass and returned to Yang's side, unfolding a small emergency blanket. He spread it out on the ground next to her, took off his hoody and gave it to her before moving toward his still wet shirt.

Jaune put the shirt on, shivered, then pushed his aura into his skin. He couldn't dry it or even heat it, but his aura should keep him from getting sick due to the cold. He used the second blanket he had as a sort of makeshift cloak, seating himself on a stone near the entrance with Crocea by his side.

"Wear my hoody and go to bed close to the fire. The blanket should keep you from losing too much heat to the ground and the hoody should keep you warm along with the fire. I'll stand watch."

Yang was about to protest, but she could understand the need for a guard. They were behind enemy lines.

"Wait, why do you have two blankets tucked into your armor?" He smirked as he watched the night sky.

"Team JNPR protocol. Each member has at least one piece of survival equipment at all times. Together we make up a basic survival kit, but any combination of us will work well. Ren has medical, Nora has the sleeping bags, I have these blankets and some gear to start fires, and Pyrrha had the hunting and cooking equipment." Yang was impressed. JNPR was a lot better prepared than RWBY typically was.

"You certainly thought that through." Jaune chuckled as he rubbed the pommel of Crocea.

"We tried to prepare for anything we could think of. Obviously, we never could, but it made for good team building. We got good prep in, and we got to understand how each member would think through a problem." Yang smiled a little at how Jaune talked about it. _He's so caring about his team. And… well, everyone now that I think about it._

She put on his hoody and reveled in its warmth (and maybe reveled in his scent. Just a little.). She walked over to him and planted a gentle kiss on the crown of his head. "Thanks for taking first watch. Make sure to wake me up after a few hours, okay?"

He nodded and bade her a good night. As she curled up on the blanket she looked at the Blond guard. _You'd better not try and stay up all night just to let me sleep, Buck-o._

Yang stirred as she woke. She certainly wasn't warm, but she wasn't freezing either. The reason for this became abundantly clear as she moved her arm. Not only was the fire at full strength, Jaune had placed his own blanket on top of her.

She turned her head to look at him, and noticed that, thankfully, he wasn't shivering.

She did get concerned when she noticed that his shirt was actually starting to gather a layer of frost. _He must be using his aura. Even for him that's a long time to keep up constant use._

Yang picked up her scroll and opened the program to look at their aura gauges. Her eyes hardened when she realized two things.

1: It was far past the time when Jaune had promised to wake her. Meaning he was definitely planning to take the entire shift.

2: He had already burned through a quarter of his aura. While that might not seem like a lot, it told Yang quite a bit. He would have to use more aura the colder it got, and Jaune's reserves were almost double her own. He shouldn't have gotten to a quarter until at least dawn, unless it got much colder.

 _Or he did something stupid like give up one of the few things giving him warmth._

Yang sat up and cleared her throat.

His head snapped to the sound, but he stayed calm.

"Hey, Yang. You've still got a little time, go back to sleep." She narrowed her eyes, and lifted his blanket a little.

"Oh," he scratched the back of his head, "Well, you seemed a little bit cold, so I put it over you. My aura is keeping me warm, so don't worry."

Yang stared him down, and slowly lifted her scroll. Jaune's eyes widened, then narrowed at the little device. _Blast, of course she would check._

"Jaune Arc." _Meep. Welp, kinda figured this was coming._

"Yes?"

"Get over here and go to sleep."

"Yang you don't have to take watch-"

"I'm not, idiot. We're both going to sleep. I don't know why I fell for it earlier, but we just destroyed the Grimm that lived here, so there is absolutely no reason for a guard. Now," she sat up a little more and pinned Jaune with a sharp glare, "Get in here before I make you. And take that shirt off, it literally has ice on it."

Jaune nodded his head and complied to her commands. The look she wore brooked no arguments. He moved closer and laid himself next to her. Outside the blanket.

"Jaune."

"Yeah?" She lifted the edge of the blanket.

"Inside the blanket."

"Uh-"

"Now."

"Yes Ma'am."

Jaune slid himself next to her, holding his arms above his head to avoid any mishaps. Yang shook her head and brought his arms to lay around her waist. Jaune stiffened, but pulled her closer still. As she felt the warmth from his bare torso seep into her, the confidence she had vanished.

 _Uh, okay. May have been a little hasty here. Ummmm…_

"Hey, Yang?" She could hear his heartrate skyrocket.

"What's up?" His grip loosened around her, and Yang had to stop herself from vocalizing her disappointment.

"I, uh, I need to tell you something. Before I miss my chance." _Miss his chance?_

"Go ahead Jaune. I told you I'd be here for you." _Please let that be true, Yang._

"I think… No, I'm sure."

"Yang, I love you." Yang's breath caught, her heart stopped, and her eyes widened.

 _Wasn't… I don't… I was not ready for this. What do I do? Well, actually, I guess that's pretty obvious._

She looked up from his chest to see his rather rosy complexion.

"Hey Jaune?" He tilted his head to face her, their noses gently touching.

"I love you too." She closed the distance and gently pressed her lips to his. They were cold and chapped, but they were Jaune's.

He pulled the two tightly together again and reciprocated the kiss. Their sleep went uninterrupted and was pleasantly warm the entire night.

 **Hey y'all. So, I know I literally just said I was going to focus on this story, but I'm realizing the more I do that the harder it gets to write for it. So I'm going to apply myself to no schedule whatsoever. I know that'll be really irritating to wait for a chapter update and not know when it'll come. But I've got like three different story ideas that I want to get down before I lose the thread, so I'm going to try for those. I know this is obnoxious but I'd ask you guys to bear with me as I get my feet under me. Also; I'd like to add little bits of trivia to my stories. So for the first one, here's something about Jaune's sword and Yang's shotgun. The two handed mode of Crocea could be referred to as a Greatsword, Broadsword, Claymore, and many other names. Technically they all refer to the fighting style, not the sword itself. The sword itself would be called a Zweihander, German for 'Two-handed.' As far as Yang's shotgun, 12 gauge shells have better range, but much more recoil. I would assume that she would need the heavier gauge to kill an Ursa given their thick hides. Sorry for the super long AN.**

 **Happy Holidays!**


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